Building 1000 Libraries Across The Country Which Will Help In Bridging Cultural And Knowledge Gaps, Now In Nagaland

Sarvahitey, as we all know refers to the word, well-being of one and all. Sarvahitey, a group six friends have been doing exactly the same. The group was formed keeping in mind the majority of the Indian population who are devoid of basic needs and basic infrastructure.

Apart from willing to bridge the gap between the fortunate and the far less fortunate, Sarvahitey is now aiming to imbibe the sense of self-sufficiency in each individual. Their project of building 1000 “cultural community centres” which would also double up as libraries across the country now has a new chapter. Sarvahitey’s latest endeavour is building a library in Nagaland.

A fresh beginning

This endeavour also serves a much bigger cause apart from aiming to bring about a holistic positive change in the community. “The project aims at bridging the cultural gap between the mainland and beautiful seven sister states, it is aimed at changing the perception which we possess of the North-eastern states and create bonds of friendship, love among ourselves,” said Prem Prakash, one of the founder members of Sarvahitey.

When The Logical Indian asked, why was Northeast chosen as a venue to set up their library after they have successfully set up two libraries in Himachal and Haryana? To this Prem answered, “Metaphorically speaking, the northeast is the most colourful feather of the bird, which goes by the name India. There is a humongous scope of work in the northeast. We need to mitigate the sense of neglect which they feel and we want to change this narrative. We want to accommodate them and accept the differences.”

Sarvahitey setting up community centres

These libraries or what Sarvahitey nomenclature classifies as ‘community centres’ are going to be set up in each of the districts of Nagaland. Sarvahitey has partnered with the Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA) and is receiving expert guidance from Lima Asen and Esther Aye, members of NSLSA.

These centres will have a healthy stock of books and will also double up as community centres and computers with internet connectivity. The computer centres will help in propagating laws and schemes of the government which would benefit the community members. It would also be a spot for the local market, where local artisans can display their products.

Another interesting aspect of these community centres will be the provision of cultural exchange. One active community member would be sent from the community to other libraries in the country and represent the flavours of his own culture to another culture. These centres will facilitate an exchange process. According to Prem, “When you come to know another culture better, you tend to respect them more and acknowledge the differences in a more positive manner. This provision will help in bringing down the iron curtain between us.” One of these libraries will soon be inaugurated at Mokukchung village and the next one at Ungma village. Members of women council of Chingmai village of Tuensang district will also play an important part in the establishment of the library in the village.

Prem with the people of Nagaland who are integrally related with the project

Nagaland, they soon plan to move towards the West with one community centre in Goa and one in Kerala. The Sarvahitey team hopes that setting up community centres and eventual cultural exchange programs throughout the country will surely enable most us to be sensitised about the cultural differences and help us to accept them with open arms. “The wave of acceptance will engulf all the differences and weave beautiful bonds of unity among diversity. This is the vision which we had in our mind before chalking out the blueprint of the community centres,” Prem said, hope and confidence ringing loud and clear in his voice.

For successful completion of these community centres, books in large numbers are one of the most important things. Books are not only a sea of knowledge, but also will help in bridging the cultural gaps. Sarvahitey appeals to all community members to donate books for this noble cause. There are centres for donating books in Delhi, Noida and in Gurugram as well.

For more details, you can reach out to Sarvahitey at [email protected] or to Prem Prakash at 8285423423

Also read,

Six Friends Who Teach For Free Are Aiming To Create 1000 Libraries Across The Country